DOVER — A New Durham woman accused of starving a young boy will begin her trial in Strafford County Superior Court Tuesday morning.

Christina Thomas, 33, of 214 Birch Hill Road, New Durham, was indicted in December 2011 on one count of first-degree assault, alleging she failed to provide proper nutrition to the victim, now 9 years old, between August 2006 and April 2010, while acting as his primary caregiver.

According to court documents, the boy and his mother, Thomas' longtime friend, were living with Thomas and her mother, Peggy Starr, 54, of 265 Kings Highway, New Durham, when the alleged abuse occurred.

Thomas was first indicted on an assault charge in the case in February 2011, but that charge was dismissed later that year after her defense attorney submitted a motion to dismiss, citing improper wording in indictment papers.

A Strafford County Superior Court upheld the motion and dismissed the case. Then, the Strafford County attorney's office came back with another indictment presented before a grand jury.

In early 2012, Thomas was also facing charges of criminal threatening after allegedly holding a knife to the boy's mother's throat in 2008. She was also charged with three misdemeanor simple assault charges alleging she struck the boy's mother in the face twice and shoved her face into a cake pan.

With her waiver of arraignment last January, Thomas has been out on $10,000 personal recognizance bail. She was ordered to have no contact with her alleged victims or children under the age of 16.

A court clerk confirmed jury selection procedures were carried out Monday morning and said court files were unavailable for review as they were being used before the trial.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt; rather, it means a grand jury found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.